Thursday was certainly a day to forget in the realm of Canadian men’s tennis.
Both Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime faced early exits in the second round of the Terra Wortmann Open held in Halle, Germany, while Gabriel Diallo experienced defeat in the same round at Queen’s Club in London.
Shapovalov, currently ranked 31st globally, encountered a nail-biting match, ultimately losing to world No. 24 Flavio Cobolli with scores of 7-6 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (5) during this grass-court preparation leading up to Wimbledon.
In a pivotal moment, Shapovalov failed to capitalize on a chance to serve for the match while leading 5-4 in the final set.
Cobolli, who recently grabbed two ATP titles on clay earlier this spring, showcased impressive form.
Auger-Aliassime, ranked No. 27 in the world, suffered a setback as he fell to No. 8 seed and world No. 22 Karen Khachanov of Russia, with a scoreline reading 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
Now, their lifetime encounter series stands even at 2-2.
In another matchup, Diallo, ranked 44th worldwide, lost 6-4, 6-2 against Jiri Lehecka, who is currently 30th.
This defeat put an end to Diallo’s impressive six-match winning streak, following his first-ever ATP tournament win last week in the Netherlands.
On a brighter note, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez is set to face Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in the quarterfinals at the Nottingham Open in England this Friday.
One final week of preparation events remains before Wimbledon kicks off on June 30.
